


A Fool's Paradise

by Just_Nicole



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional Roller Coaster, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, John Seed Needs a Hug, Minor Deputy | Judge/Jacob Seed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:01:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29110464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Nicole/pseuds/Just_Nicole
Summary: "She was an angel seeking chaos, he was a demon seeking peace."Junior Deputy x John Seed
Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/John Seed, John Seed/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 24





	1. Just the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little idea I had in my head, wanted to start a story that followed the plot of the game's events..
> 
> Let me know what you think :)

It was a positively beautiful, Summer’s day in Hope County, Montana. The temperatures quickly pushing hundred degrees as the Junior Deputy, Ashleigh Scott hurtled across Fall’s End in her truck, a brilliant smile creeping onto her face as she mulled over today’s agenda in her head.

Today was slow compared to most days at the department, so Sheriff Whitehorse had kindly allowed everyone, bar Staci to take the day off. Everyone had jumped at the chance, paperwork launched onto their desks forgotten as they hightailed it to the exit. Rook or Rookie, as everyone affectionately called her, couldn’t remember the last day off that she’d had without it being spoiled half way through, her radio always blaring to life just as she was about to relax.

No, she had a certain family to thank for that, they had been making everyone’s life a living hell lately. The Seed’s had moved into Hope County a couple of years back from Georgia, keeping themselves to themselves at first, but that peace quickly disappeared when Joseph Seed starting making a name for himself by going around proclaiming that God spoke to him.

People had laughed at him at first, _mocked_ him even, but it didn’t take long for one Joseph Seed to demand the attention he had been so desperately seeking…

Everyone who lived in Hope County had by now dealt with the religious group, Eden’s Gate in some way or another, whether it by choice or not. No one took them seriously at first, just brushing them off as a bunch of religious nuts at first, but it soon became apparent to everyone that Eden’s gate was different to anything they had come across before.

They were different; religious, militant, organised. It was a goddamn cult.

The then cult started buying up every farm they could get their greasy hands on, every piece of land for miles. Then it was the radio station and then not long after, it seemed like they had the goddamn Sheriff’s Department under their thumb too. By now, it was clear that no one was coming to help them, they were on their own with this one.

It was common knowledge that Joseph Seed, or the “The Father” was in charge of their little freak show, that cute little nickname designated by his followers, or his ‘flock’ as he so _lovingly_ dubbed them.

Rook and everyone else who hadn’t been brainwashed by Joseph had another nickname for them however, ‘Peggies’. It was much simpler than starting every sentence with Project at Eden’s Gate, the proper name for members of the cult. You could pretty much spot one from a mile away, with their dirty, unkept appearance and their hollow, vacant eyes. Yes, the Seed family just _loved_ the members of their congregation…

Next, were ‘The Heralds’ compromised of Joseph’s brothers, John and Jacob, and a strange women called Faith. Although, Ashleigh quickly recognised the girl from the Missing Persons Database as twenty four year old, Rachel Jessop. Rumour had it though, that this so called _Faith,_ wasn’t the first, her appearance seeming to change every few years.

In fact, the Junior Deputy had made it her own personal mission to go digging into Faith’s personal life. There wasn’t much to go on considering that most folks, including Ashleigh, didn’t know much about Rachel Jessop’s life.

Rook did however, manage to find out that the young woman shared the same surname as the affluent Jessop family, who just so happened to own the conservatory down in the eastern part of Hope County. She had later found out that Jessop had a rough life and turned to drugs for comfort, and round about this time she fell into the hands of The Father, Joseph Seed.

After that, reports of missing people seemed to come in thick and fast, much quicker than the Hope County Sheriff’s Department could handle. Then what started off as missing persons, soon escalated; kidnapping, drug trafficking, slavery, extortion. You name it, Eden's Gate had done it all.. 

It led the Junior Deputy to wonder, _what kind of operation were these people running?_

Eden’s Gate proved to be frustratingly helpful every time Ashleigh and her partner, whether it be Staci or Joey, had to go down there and do some investigating. It didn’t sit well with her, flagging as immediately suspicious, considering the same people were often usually belligerent to the law.

_“Rook, I know it’s your day off, but I need you to get your ass down here. Now.”_

“On my way, Sheriff.” Rook muttered with a resigned sigh, her voice crackling over the static of her small radio. So much for her day off. At least she had managed to accomplish a little plan of hers today, one that she knew John Seed would no doubt appreciate it.

The young Deputy and John Seed had been playing a rather dangerous game of cat and mouse lately, each of them slowly upping the ante in efforts to outdo one another, but Ashleigh had a feeling that she was going to win this round, hands down. Even despite being a cocky, brazen, self assured, asshole, John Seed wasn’t infallible and he was going to find that out later on today.

______

It was peaceful morning at the Seed Ranch, the birds were chirping outside, the servants were tidying up round the place and Holly Pepper was busy flicking through a floral arrangement magazine completely oblivious to the world around her. She wasn’t in a relationship with John Seed, but her closeness with the Baptist, allowed Holly to enjoy the finerthings in life.

A commotion from the hallway caused her to glance up, frowning when one of John’s Chosen came rushing into the room, his breath coming out in heavy pants.

“Oh, Holly. I’m so glad that I found you, brother John’s isn’t going to be happy…” The meek, young man muttered causing Holly’s interest to pique.

Carefully, she placed her magazine down on the sofa and glanced up at him with a small smile, “Whatever is the matter, Christopher?”

“John’s plane has, uh, been compromised…by the female Deputy,” Holly closed her eyes and sighed loudly in annoyance. That fucking Deputy had been making things very difficult lately, and she was seriously beginning to wain on Holly’s last nerve.

“So, let me get this straight,” She said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she finally opened her eyes and shot him an incredulous look. “You are telling me that the Junior Deputy has managed to sneak onto the ranch undetected and has somehow managed to steal John’s **_plane_** right from under your noses?”

The man nodded wordlessly.

“And why are you telling me this, and not John?”

“Well, I figured that you would be the best person to tell him since you two are, uh, pretty close to each other.”

“Not a chance in hell! I’m not the one that let the Deputy sneak onto John’s property in the first place!” She yelled incredulously, pointing to the man in accusatory fashion. Sure she was pretty _close_ with John, but there was no way that she was going to tell him that the Deputy of all people had just snuck away with his prized possession. “I’m not telling him anything!”

“Holly, please. I’m on my last warning.”

She sighed again, “Uh, fine, I’ll do it. But you’re coming with me.”

Pausing to gather her thoughts, Holly ascended the long staircase and walked into John’s study, John barely noticing her as she and Christopher stepped into the small room and closed the door behind them.

“Yes, Holly?” John murmured, barely glancing away from his crossword as he looked up at her. With a deep breath, she took a step forward and sat down in the chair opposite his desk, noting how Christopher stayed standing. She had no clue how to break the news to him, the thick silence in the room practically suffocating her.

Completely forgetting about the crossword, John pushed himself away from the desk and looked up at her, brow raised, waiting for her to begin.

“Okay, so..” Holly whispered, watching John as continued to stare at her, confusion beginning to set across his handsome features. “…The Deputy has apparently managed to break in and steal your plane.”

“She’s stolen _my_ plane?” He repeated incredulously. 

Holly cringed, watching as John blinked at her as if she had grown another head and let out a small chuckle, taking a sip of his coffee at the same time. John leaned back in his chair as a brilliant smile made it’s way onto his face, blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

“So, you’re telling me the _Deputy can fly planes_?”

She nodded again and glowered, her eyes narrowing when she saw something trigger behind his eyes and suddenly, his entire face contorted into an expression of sheer glee. Of all the people in Hope County to steal his plane, it had to be _her,_ and he wasn’t mad about it. In fact, he was _pleased_ …it made her blood boil.

“Leave, I’ll deal with her.” Neither Holly or Christopher needed to be told twice.


	2. Looking for Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the delay in uploading. I've been really busy with work and re-writing my Jacob story. But I've finally finished this chapter. I actually wrote this two or three times so I hope you enjoy! If you do, please let me know as it keeps me motivated to try and get these chapters out quicker :) 
> 
> Thank you x

_“Oh De-puh-tee…I think that me and you need to have a little chat about the small matter of my plane. You know, the one that you stole from right under my nose…”_

Rook opened her mouth to comeback with a sarcastic remark, but her thoughts were quickly diverted elsewhere when she pulled her truck into the small parking lot belonging to the Sheriff’s Department and noticed that it was jammed packed full of vehicles, barely a place to park in sight. 

_Strange…_

She quickly identified the usual suspects, who were all parked in their allocated spaces; The Sheriff, Nancy, Joey and Pratt, but something was a miss…someone was parked in _her_ spot. The absolute cheek of it. Rook frowned in annoyance as she glanced up at the grass verge, the only feasible place left to park her monstrosity of a vehicle. _Beggers can’t be choosers and all that…_

“John, I know you don’t have much on during the day when you aren't out ruining lives or annoying me, but I’m a little busy right now. Can we do this some other time? Plus, if you wanna get all _technical_ on me, that plane wasn’t yours to begin with.” Rook replied as she grabbed the tray of coffee and slammed the truck door shut behind her, careful not to spill a drop. 

_“I don’t ruin people’s lives, I give people their lives back by offering them a chance to atone for their sins, so that they can live a life free from sin…you can’t imagine how freeing that is. I can help you too, Deputy. All you have to do is say yes.”_

Rook rolled her eyes at John’s usual bravado and quickly made her way across the car park to the main entrance. A slight frown crept onto her face when she peeked through the double glass doors at reception, nothing how busy the small office looked. 

“There’s only one time when I’m willing to say yes to a man, John…”

Sure, it was childish and petty, but the statement was out of her mouth before she could stop herself. That man brought out the worst qualities in her, always pushing, always questioning, always wanting to know her personal business like it had something to do with him. She could only peg it down to boredom on his part, he had after all, been a very successful lawyer back in Atlanta, so Rook was sure that Herald of a doomsday cult left John wanting. It was obvious that John enjoyed a bit of back and forth, keeping both his mind and his tongue sharp…

_“Ah, there she is, the Deputy that I know. You can’t help yourself, can you? Always on the defensive..always trying to divert the topic of conversation by using that filthy mouth of yours.”_

Rook giggled despite herself, enjoying the rise she got out of the man. She hated to admit it, but it was fun to toy with him like a fish on a line sometimes, the Herald barely needing any encouragement to bite. 

“Johnny boy, if you want me to use that dirty mouth of mine, all you have to do is ask me. _Nicely…_ and I _might_ consider it.” 

_“LUST is a sin, Deputy. One, that I too, know well of. I can help you.”_

“Goodbye, John. Gotta dash.” And with that, she pressed the end call button on the small, black device and secured it back into place on her utility belt.

____

Rook sauntered into the small briefing room and pulled up a chair, placing her legs up on the desk directly in front of her, ankles crossed as she balanced her latte on top her muscular thighs. She was early as usual, so waiting for her colleagues to appear was nothing new. Pratt was just Pratt and Joey’s time keeping was about as well put together as her inappropriate uniform choices. The younger Deputy didn’t think that her colleague’s attitude to upholding standards could get any less nonchalant.

“Ah, Rookie. You’re here, sharp as usual I see.” Rook glanced up briefly, just in time to see the Sheriff smiling down at her. She beamed back at him. However, that’s when she noted an unfamiliar face standing directly behind him, who just so happened to be wearing a US Marshal’s uniform, scowl firmly plastered on his face as he looked Rook up and down. The smile dropped off her face and she bristled immediately, legs coming off the desk as she sat up straight in her chair.

“You the one who’s _parked in my_ space?” She asked, completely ignoring Whitehorse as she turned to the outsider, eyes narrowed in accusatory manner. 

“It’s nice to meet you too, Deputy Scott. The name’s Cameron Burke, United States Marshal, and yes, I did park in your space. I didn’t realise that it had your name on it, must’ve washed off.”

Rook glowered at his smug smirk and opened her mouth to reply. However, the Sheriff shot her a scathing look, making her back off immediately. She wasn’t one for keeping her mouth shut, but she knew better than to get on the wrong side of her boss. 

The trio idly chitchatted about the various going’s on in Hope County whilst they waited for both Hudson and Pratt. Nancy, the old bat that she was, also made an appearance. Rook tried to hide her obvious disdain when the the walking corpse sat down right next to her and mumbled something incoherently. To say that she disliked Nancy would’ve been an understatement, in fact, the junior Deputy hated Nancy and her condescending tone with a vengeance. 

When both Hudson and Pratt finally decided to grace the group with their presence, Burke made his way over to the old projector and turned it on, a loud whirring sound indicating that it was indeed, still working despite being at least ten years older than Ashleigh. It took a moment for the screen to heat up properly, but when it did, the group were greeted with a portrait of the Seed family. Rook turned her head, eyes wide as she watched Burke stride over to the podium in the centre of the room, his muscular arms resting on the wooden surface as he leaned against it for support. He then looked up at everyone expectantly. 

“This is Joseph Seed and family as I’m sure you’re all aware by now. They have been running a little operation called Eden’s Gate or the Project for the past couple of years now, keeping their noses out of trouble for the most part, but recently we received some disturbing footage that suggests these people are more than what they seem..”

Burke picked up the small object, presumably a remote and aimed it at the screen, “What you’re about to witness is quite disturbing, so just a head’s up.”

The screen turned to black for a brief moment before Rook heard the dulcet tones of Joseph Seed preaching to members of his flock. The video then kicked into life, showing very obvious camera or phone footage as someone walked down through the Eden’s Gate church towards Joseph as he continued to preach, completely unaware to the spy in his midst. 

_“We save those lost souls, whether they wanna be saved or not. Some will wish to harm us. Some will wish to destroy all that we have built here together..”_

_“..And some will wish to betray us..”_

A cold shiver of fear ran up Rook’s spine as the camera focused in on Joseph’s aviator clad face, his attention now completely focused on the person operating the camera. That’s when two Peggies grabbed the man and hauled him over to Joseph, the camera falling onto the floor where he had dropped it. 

_“And those in the outside world are blind. They do not believe. They have no faith..”_ The group watched on in a stunned silence as Joseph advanced towards the bound man and hushed him in a false, comforting manner. It made Rook’s skin crawl. _“…But I will make them see.”_

Rook watched on in complete horror, her eyes glued to the screen as she watched Joseph Seed stick his fingers into the man’s eyes like it was nothing. His blood curdling screams ringing in her ears as she looked away and glanced at her colleagues, who’s faces were beginning to turn a pale shade of green. 

_How could someone do a thing like that to another human being without so much as a second thought? Someone that was supposed to teach people to love one another…_

Burke quickly disposed of the clip, his own face beginning to pale as he cleared his throat and looked around the room at his audience once more. “This isn’t the only story that’s circulating out there; these people are dangerous, folks. They cannot be allowed to continue the way they are going without police intervention, so that’s why we at the Marshal’s Office have a warrant issued for the arrest of one, Joseph Seed on the grounds of kidnapping with the intent to harm.” 

The Sheriff and his Deputies glanced at Burke like he had grown another head. Arrest Joseph Seed? How the hell were they going to do that? Sheriff Whitehorse had tasked the junior Deputy to keep an eye on the day to day runnings of Eden’s Gate and she had noticed that the man was practically untouchable. One, given that his compound was heavily protected by armed guards at all times and two, that he very rarely left the compound unless it was of the upmost importance. Rook felt a sudden, gnawing sensation in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t like where this was headed. No, she didn’t like it one bit..

“Are you crazy?” Rook pipped up, hoping that no one really heard her, but she wasn’t done yet.Someone had to say it at some point and Rook was going to let the Marshal know exactly how she felt about the Seed family and their sick little ‘Project’.

“And how the heck do you suggest we get into his compound in the first place?” It was out of Rook’s mouth before she could stop herself. Both Burke and Whitehorse glared at her, even if for completely different reasons. 

“Helicopter.”

Rook scoffed in return as she straightened up in her chair and glared back at Burke. “No offence, Marshal…but that’s a ridiculous idea. If we go down there in a chopper, the Peggies will freak the fuck out and you’ll be pretty much signing us up for a whole world of trouble.”

“Deputy, stop!” Whitehorse hissed. 

“I’m with the probie on this one, Sheriff. We can’t just charge down there mob-handed,” Staci grimaced, slowly turning around in his seat so he could look at both Rook and Whitehorse as he spoke. “Plus, this isn’t anything to do with our department. It’s the US Marshals who want Joseph Seed, so why can’t they just go down there and get him themselves instead of using us for their dirty work?”

The rest of the bodies in the room whispered in agreement with Pratt’s statement. He was right. Why couldn’t the US Marshals deal with the Seed’s if they really wanted them so badly? The Sheriff’s Department had tried to police the people of Eden’s Gate, but they had zero respect for a badge, only obeying their false idol. 

“Pratt! This is our jurisdiction. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m the still one in charge around here, so I’m the one who says what we can and cannot do! ” Whitehorse exclaimed, standing up out of his seat in an aggressive manner, clearly outraged by his Deputies insubordination. His nostrils flared in anger, his breath coming out in heavy billows as he glared around the room, eyes boring holes into each and every person’s skull. 

All three Deputies sighed defeatedly, knowing they had lost the battle with the Sheriff. Rook grumbled and glanced over at Joey and Staci, who’s expressions didn’t fill her with enthusiasm. 

Burke stepped away from behind his podium, a gleeful expression marring his features as he approached his now obedient, captive audience. “I don’t know why you’ve all got your panties in a twist over this people. This is just a bunch of religious nuts from backwater Montana, what’s so scary about them?” 

“Oh, you’ll find out.” Rook whispered.

“Sorry, Deputy Scott. Can you say that again? Didn’t quite catch that?” 

It was finally time for Whitehorse to grow a backbone apparently. “Marshal, these people are much more sophisticated than you think. We can’t just go in there all gun blazing, that’s not gonna go down well. If we are gonna do this, then we do it my way, carefully.”

_Well, thank fuck for some common sense._

Both men stared each other down in silent battle of will until the Marshal sighed loudly and threw his hands up in the air. Rook bit back the huge grin that threatened to break out and resisted thestrong urge to run up and kiss the Sheriff. 

“Fine. But we do this tonight. Go home, get some sleep cuz you’re gonna need it.” 


	3. Radio Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh, our deputy has been hiding a little secret.... 
> 
> Thank you for all your support so far. I'm blown away xx

**LAST YEAR**

_Another one bites the dust…_

_The young woman huffed dramatically to herself as she took a sip of her whiskey and pressed un-match on her latest online conquest, Tim. Or was it Tom?_

_To be honest, Rook couldn’t quite remember his name, and she supposed that it didn’t really matter anyways, because she wouldn’t be making plans to see him for a second time._

_Not that there was anything necessarily wrong with Tim per say, he was nice, and he had treated her well. He was, by all standards, a complete gentleman, but something was missing, the spark just not igniting for her._

_The Junior Deputy loved her hometown of Hope County, and she loved pretty much everything that it stood for, but something was_ **_lacking_ ** _._

_Her dating life for one…_

_It’s not that she struggled to attract men either. Hell, she could’ve had pretty much any man she wanted with her good looks and sharp tongue, but sadly the local men left a lot to be desired. Most of their free time was usually spent hunting, and/or fishing, or doing some other equally boring activity._

_She needed some excitement in her otherwise simple life, and the idea of sitting at the other end of a fishing rod or rifle for hours on end, just waiting for something to happen wasn’t the definition of a good time in her book._

_It also didn’t help matters that she had quite a few male friends, always feeling more relaxed around them, like she could finally be herself for a change._

_Two of her close friends, Pratt and Sharky were both attractive in their own rights, but it would’ve been a whole new level of wrong if she went there. Plus, she didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good friendship by sleeping with one of them. Rook’s life was already far too complicated to be adding having sex with one of her best friends into the mix, no that was just asking for a whole word of hurt in her opinion._

_To make matters worse, her friend, Mary May was throwing at Christmas party down at the Spread Eagle tonight and as usual, Rook didn’t have a plus one to invite along._

_She wasn’t really all that downhearted about not having someone to invite along, but she could already hear the hushed whispers from her fellow town’s folk. It seemed that the people of Hope County just loved pointing out the fact that her love life was lack lustre._

_A bitter draft suddenly swept over her back and into the sweltering room, causing goosebumps to break out on her clammy skin. Rook looked up and smiled warmly, raising her drink in hello gesture when Joey and her date for the night came through the front door._

_“You don’t need a man to be happy, honey.” Rook snapped her head round and grinned at her good friend, Mary May._

_“Oh, I know,” She sighed dramatically in return as Mary leaned across the bar to her. “It’s just that the folks in this town are persistent, always asking why ‘a pretty thing’ like me doesn’t have a fella hanging off her arm.”_

_Mary giggled in return as she took a sip of her own drink, “Sounds about right. The folks in this town are as nosey as sin, ‘specially if they think it’ll make for some good gossip later on.”_

_“I know,” Rook grumbled as she surveyed the hustling bar. “I just wish they would find some other loser to take an interest in.”_

_Mary’s face changed in an instant as she looked straight at the door, completely ignoring her friends earlier comment. Rook frowned and snapped her head round to have a look at what was causing all of the fuss. She froze, a breath catching on her lips when she spotted John Seed standing in the doorway, looking smug. Nothing unusual then.._

_“What the heck are_ **_they_ ** _doin’ here?”_

_Rook shook her head wordlessly as she gulped down the remainder of her whiskey in one long hit, her eyes never leaving the man standing in the doorway. She raked in his appearance, starting from his smart boots to his dark, well fitting jeans and then eventually dragging up the hard planes of his solid chest which was disguised in a black dress shirt, the top three buttons undone. She gawped at him, he looked positively good enough to eat._

_Who wouldn’t like to stare at that ass all day? That defined jawline, those icy pools that a girl could get lost in and don’t even get her started on those biceps…_

_The Seed family had only just recently rolled into Hope County with their religious ways and their stunningly blue eyes. It wasn’t fair, not in the slightest. Why did the hot ones always have to be crazy?_

_“Hello? Earth to Rook? You can stop being a thirsty bitch now.” Joey’s voice rang out, snapping the young woman out of her daze. Reluctantly, she tore her eyes away from John and focused in on Joey, who was looking back at her with a knowing smile on her face._

_“You sooo wanna bang him.” She commented with a small giggle, causing Rook to choke on her newly poured whiskey. She quickly covered her mouth and glared at both women._

_“Joey Hudson! I wanna do no such thing!” She retorted in defence, feeling her face start to heat up, hoping that her dirty little secret hadn’t been revealed. Truth is, Rook didn’t just think that John Seed was attractive, oh no, she had herself a little crush on that sociopathic monster._

_“Sure thing honey. You look just about ready to gobble him up.” Rook chuckled, knowing full well who’s dirty mouth that had come from. She spun round on her stool and smiled wildly at Adelaide._

_“I don’t mean to alarm you or anything doll, but he’s looking over here.” Mary replied, a playful tone in her voice as she leaned onto the bar and whispered in the younger woman’s ear._

_She was right. Rook watched as both John and Jacob sat down in the booth closest to the door. He raised his glass to her in a one sided cheers when he caught her gaze, a smirk playing on his handsome face. She watched as he turned to his brother and whispered something in his ear._

_“You gotta go speak to him,” Joey muttered, her eyes also on the two men, her voice deadly serious as she handed Rook another drink. In fact, Joey pretty much pushed her off of the barstool that she’d been sitting on. She was definitely drunk._

_“Go get ‘em girl.”_

_Rook nodded, swallowing hard, as she very slowly, swung round on her barstool. She rose to stiletto clad feet, making sure to sway her hips that little bit extra as John watched on curiously, his blue eyes twinkling mischievously in the dim lighting. Rook flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and strutted towards his table, fully aware that every single person in the bar was now watching her every move._

_She didn’t care, because when she looked into those eyes of his, everyone else seemed to fade away. It was just the two of them.._

_John took another sip of his drink, calmly assessing her she approached his table. Rook’s breath caught in her throat when she saw a hint of a smile ghosting on his handsome face._

_His intense stare never faltered, a hand reaching out to her as he motioned for her to take a seat. She took it, his intense stare never leaving hers as she obediently sat down beside him and crossed her legs._

_“Deputy,” He whispered, bringing her hand up to his lips. She giggled nervously as he raised an eyebrow at her. “I must say, this is an absolute pleasure. I wasn’t expecting you to come over here, especially not with half of the town watching. You do realise that every single person in this room is looking at us right now?”_

_“So?” She stared at him again in a silent challenge as she slowly got to her feet and motioned for him to follow. “Let them, but best be giving them a proper show, huh?”_

_Rook heard a low growl when she deliberately swayed her hips that little bit more and led him onto the dance floor. They stood in the midst of the drunken bodies, loud music ringing in their ears as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in closer._

_John shot the small women a warning look in return as a large hand came to rest on her petite waist, “Careful darling, I bite…what exactly are you playing at, Deputy?”_

_“It’s just a simple dance, John.” She replied as she turned her back to him and pushed her hips back into his experimentally. Ashleigh was playing with fire, but she couldn’t find it in herself to stop now. She then took hold of his large hands and guided them onto either side of her hips, causing John to go rigid against her._

_He groaned into her ear, his grip tightening almost painfully when she ground her hips back into him again, this time in time with the beat. It was a warning._

_“Okay, the jig is up, Deputy. Have you been planning this all along?” He whispered, his lips brushing against the delicate skin of her ear as he spoke. It sent shivers down her spine. Rook leaned back into his touch, her eyes closing as she relished the feeling of his skin on hers. She couldn’t lie, Ashleigh had secretly been lusting after John Seed ever since he strolled into the coffee shop that day in Fall’s End._

_“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Johnny boy.” She replied coyly as he started to brush his nose along the delicate skin of her throat. Rook spun round, her arms wrapping around John’s neck as she leaned down into his touch, his lips just millimetres from her own._

_‘Oh yes, you do, but I’m not complaining.” John breath in reply, his fingertips gripping a little too tightly into the skin on her hips as he closed the distance between them once more. The feel of his warm breath tickling against her neck made her head spin, making her feel dizzy with need, like some lusty teenager._

_“Let’s take this somewhere quieter, shall we?”_

_Rook nodded and allowed him to drag her into one of the bathrooms. She let out a nervous giggle at his not a care in the world attitude._

_“We’re gonna get caught.” She giggled, her eyes going wide. John simply shrugged his shoulders in reply . Without warning, he pushed her into one of the stalls and locked it behind them, a hungry expression on his face as he stalked towards her in the tiny stall. Rook took the opportunity to wrap her arms around his neck as she pushed her body into his, needing to feel some friction between them. John let out a strangled groan and bit down on his lip as she looked him up and down._

_“What you waiting for, an invite?” She taunted, her lips brushing against his as she ran her fingers through his now messy hair. John growled when she gripped his hair and pulled. He slammed her so hard against the stall door that Rook banged her head and let out a shocked gasp. John took the opportunity to run his tongue along her full lips, not waiting for an invite. Rook moaned into his mouth in response and tangled her manicured fingers into his dark hair as his tongue traced along her lower lip._

_His urgency showed Rook that he wanted this just as much she did. His tongue massaged hers as he reached under her thighs to lift her off the ground like she was nothing. She hastily wrapped her thighs around his waist as he pushed her back against the door, pressing his growing bulge against her panties._

_Rook wanted to thank Joey Hudson for convincing her to wear a dress tonight._

_John pulled away suddenly, making Rook groan in protest. However, that was quickly replaced as he started to lick and suck on her neck, earning him a well deserved moan as she leaned her head onto his shoulder. She felt him grin against her skin when she reached down for the remaining buttons on his shirt. With shaky hands, she managed to get the offending buttons undone, but didn't bother removing it, she was content to run her hands down the hard expanses of his chest, completely fascinated when thehard muscles flexed underneath her touch._

_Rook whimpered and bucked her hips into his, making John groan loudly into her neck, the noise sending vibrations along her skin, “Someone’s impatient.”_

_“Hurry up and fuck me.” She breathed as John bit down on her collarbone, her fingernails digging into the skin on his back. John was only too happy to oblige as he took Rook’s hands and placed them down onto his belt. She could feel how hard he was as she fiddled around with his belt in an attempt to unfasten it. John’s pants fell onto the tiled floor with a loud thud as Rook grabbed his cock roughly, massaging him through the fabric of his boxers. She looked him directly in the eye, willing him to do something. She watched, completely fascinated as his eyes rolled into the back of his head._

_“You’re killing me, woman.” He panted, his pupils blown wide, the blue almost disappearing as she continued her assault on him. She bit her lip, loving how helpless she had made him. It wasn’t often that a man like John had no control over a situation._

_Suddenly, he grabbed her lace panties and pulled hard to the side, the material making a ripping sound. Rook shot him a ‘really’ look as she looked at her now destroyed underwear. If she wasn’t so fucking horny, she would’ve totally punched him in the face for ruining her favourite pair._

_“Deputy?” John stopped and searched her face, his expression completely serious for a fleeting moment. He was panting hard, his dark hair now falling into his eyes as he focused his gaze on her. Rook suddenly felt very vulnerable, naked and pressed against this man as a blush crept onto her cheeks._

_“Are you sure? I won’t be able to stop..” John whispered as he brought his thumb up and softly traced her jawline. The pair knew that they were crossing a line, one that they couldn’t come back from if they kept going._

_She nodded and hastily pulled his boxers down, his large cock flopped against her thigh in the process, causing him to inhale sharply through his teeth. He smiled as he lined himself up at her entrance, Rook a little embarrassed when she realised how wet she was for him. He watched her intently as he roughly thrust into her, his mouth slighted parted. She moaned loudly and closed her eyes, cringing at how intimate the moment was between two that normally fought tooth and nail._

_“Shh, gotta be quiet.” He whispered, pressing a finger against her lips. She snarled , about to argue the point as she thrust her hips up into his._

_“Fuck…” The unabashed moan he let out as their hips collided made Rook want to blush. She reached forward to nibble on his exposed collarbone and let out a loud moan of her own, the new angle causing John to hit a spot she never knew existed._

_The noise apparently caused John to snap and throw caution to the wind as he relentlessly pounded into her over and over again, Rook moaning his name over and over like a prayer. John pressed his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes as he quite literally fucked her into next week. Rook didn’t think she be able to remember her own goddamn name after tonight._

_“John…”_

_“She’s so hot, I’d bang her.” A familiar voice echoed, filling the small room. Rook froze and looked at John just as he stopped moving, the same horror etched onto his sweaty face. They were going to be in some serious trouble if Staci found them naked in the bathroom stall together._

_It felt like a lifetime before the voices disappeared, the pair struggling to reign in their breathing as they patiently waited for Staci leave, John’s face rested on her shoulder. The couple looked at each other and immediately burst out laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of the situation._

_“Yes, yes, yes…” She whined, throwing her head back against the stall as John continued at the same eye watering pace, her eyes squeezing shut when she felt that familiar clench in her core._

_“If I had known it was so easy to get you to say yes, I would’ve fucked you into submission a long time ago, Deputy.”_

_She moaned loudly, causing John to silence her with his lips, his thrusts starting to lose momentum as each one moved her further up the door, her back hitting the wood each time with a sharp slap._

_He groaned quietly as he released, his eyes rolling back, “Fuck…”_

_Rook pecked his lips one last time as she rested her forehead against his, the gravity of the situation finally hitting her. She eyed him carefully as she attempted to get her breathing under control, afraid of what he might do in that moment. However, she relaxed slightly when she realised that his eyes were still closed._

_It was a rare moment to see John Seed speechless, vulnerable, laid bare under her scrutiny. She attempted to pull away but John grip tightened, keeping her in place._

_“And who says that Christmas parties are no fun.” John finally quipped causing the young woman to roll her eyes. Of course he had to go and ruin the moment._

Rook jolted awake, her eyes still heavy with sleep as she frantically glanced around the room in an attempt to gain her bearings. With a sigh, she sat up in her bed, the covers sliding down to her hips as she looked at her clock, dread filling her bones when she realised that it was almost time to execute that goddamn warrant.

Everything was going to be different after tonight, she could feel it in her bones.

Rook hadn’t told a single soul about that night in the bar and planned on keep it that way, too ashamed to admit that she’d had sex with John and enjoyed it. In fact, what made it entirely worse was, that her and John were still sneaking around behind everyone’s backs, still meeting up with each other when the notion took them. It was wrong, but neither one of them seemed able to call it quits.

How the fuck could she explain that one to her friends and colleagues?

In fact, what Ashleigh did next was completely reckless and selfish, but she had to at least warn him. She snatched her radio off the bedside table and pressed the talk button, knowing full well that John would still be wide awake.

“John, if you’re there please answer, there’s something I’ve gotta tell you..”

It was silent for a few moments, nothing but radio static coming from the other end as Ashleigh patiently waited for him to pick up.

_“…Deputy. Well, isn’t this a nice surprise?”_

Rook froze, her eyes going wide when she realised that Jacob had picked up his brother’s radio instead. She sighed to herself. Of all people, it had to be him. 

“Jacob,” Rook began as she got up off the bed and looked round the room for her uniform. “Is John there? I need to talk with him, it’s important.”

_“Oh, I don’t doubt that whatever nonsense that you and my brother discuss on a nightly basis is of the upmost importance, Deputy, but I’m afraid John’s a little busy right now. Can I leave a message with him? I’ll be sure to pass it on…please don’t leave out any_ **_sordid_ ** _details on my account.”_

Fuck. Did Jacob know? 

Rook glared down at the radio, rolling her eyes at Jacob’s attitude. He was always so difficult, it made her blood boil, “Look, I’m not in the mood for mind games tonight, Jacob. So let me just get straight to the point, hmm? There’s a US Marshal…and he’s coming with an arrest warrant for Joseph, whether you like it or not.”

_“Deputy, I’m all shook up at your concern. It’s nice to see that you’re worried about my family, but trust me, sweetheart, I don’t need your tip off. I can protect my own family, so you know what? You focus on protecting your people, and I’ll focus on protecting mine. Jacob Out.”_

"Damnit, Jacob."


	4. Walk Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your support so far :) It's much appreciated xx

“Why are you so jittery tonight?” Joey snapped, watching on in annoyance as Rook shrugged her colleague off. The younger woman however, was clearly finding the simple task of sitting still impossible and continued to fidget around in her seat as she tried to get service on her cell phone.

“Will you stop? It’s freaking _me_ out, Rook.”

“I’m with Hudson on this one,” Whitehorse interjected as he turned round to look at his most inexperienced Deputy, concerned by her sudden, strange behaviour. She was normally composed at times like these. “You’re wasting your time, kiddo. You ain’t gonna get a reception all the way out here, especially not since the cult’s pretty much blocked every cell and radio tower signal from here to the Whitetail Mountains.”

_She couldn’t tell them why she was desperately trying to get service. They wouldn’t understand…_

Ashleigh sighed to herself, finally admitting defeat as she shoved the small device back into the front of her shirt pocket and glanced out the window. Her colleagues were right, it was pointless, but the need to reach out to John didn’t disappear. In fact, it worsened when the chopper started passing over the Henbane River; the ugly, concrete eulogy of Joseph Seed coming into Rook’s peripheral vision.

Faith had tasked her brain dead monkeys to erect that god awful monstrosity of a thing to show her devotion to Joseph. Because, nothing says I love you like a thirty foot concrete statue in your likeness.

She also used said monstrosity in part of her twisted, little ‘pilgrimage’ around Angel’s Peak, a walk that easily took around two weeks to complete. Well, that’s if you made it. Folks were extremely lucky to survive. If the sun and the bliss didn’t get you first, then the wildlife most likely would. When Rook had been tasked to go uncover in Faith’s region, Rook had come across a countless numbers of corpses scattered around on the ground like trash.

“I hate that motherfucker. It makes me sick just looking at that thing.”

Rook snapped out her self monologue and turned to look at Joey again. The more experienced Deputy’s expression was filled with complete and utter contempt as she looked past her colleague and out of the chopper to Joseph’s statue.

Suddenly Ashleigh had an _amazing_ idea, “It would be a real shame if someone were to blow that thing sky high, huh?”

Joey grinned, her dark eyes twinkling mischievously. “I wish. I’d personally congratulate the fucker brave enough to destroy that thing, but do you know what would be much better?”

Rook shook her head, a grin now forming on her face too.

“To see the look on little Faith’s face when she finds out. Now, that would be worth its weight in gold. I’d pay to see that.”

Burke tutted in the background, “Do you always purposely antagonise them?”

Both Rook and Joey turned to glare at the Marshall simultaneously. If only he had seen what they had, experienced what they had, then maybe he wouldn’t be so quick to judge them. In their opinion, the cult got exactly what they were asking for.

“Will you three cut it out already?” Pratt muttered. “We’re here.”

_______

Jacob glanced up at John, sighing to himself when he followed John’s eye to the church doors, _again_. That made five times in the last thirty minutes. That fucking Deputy would be the death of him and his family, and she had no fucking idea. Joseph had warned them that they would come tonight and as if on cue, here she was , unknowingly falling right into the path that Joseph had laid out before her. John was besotted with the idea of changing her, Faith believed that she just had to be shown the path and Joseph, well, he was happy to sit by idly while his family was slaughtered, right in front of his face. Jacob would deal with that little wretch himself, he wasn’t going to let this happen, not without a fight at least.

John paced around the front of the church, chewing on his nails as he listening to the storm beginning to brew just outside the sanctuary of the church. He could faintly hear the hushed whispers turning into full on bellows as the Sheriff and his Deputies tried to contain the situation outside, but John knew that the members of the flock wouldn’t let them pass so easily.

Joseph however, seemed to ignore the raging storm and simply continued to address the members of his congregation like it was any other day, like nothing was wrong. But then again, he had called a ‘family’ meeting at John’s ranch to forewarn. Joseph had said that it was all part of God’s plan for him, for them. They were vital seals in the Collapse and _his Deputy_ would be the one to kick it all off.

_Did he want to become a martyr? John had never thought about dying before. Would it be painful? It was a strange thing to try and comprehend._

The singing continued despite the sound of the old, wooden doors opening with a loud creak, signalling that the outsiders had stepped into their sanctuary. John turned to his brother for guidance, but Joseph simply continued to address his flock,his words never faltering as the locusts slowly and carefully made their way down the long aisle towards them. John could make out Sheriff Whitehorse’s distinctive moustache almost immediately in the dim lighting. His eyes wildly scanning the group as he regarded Deputy Pratt, and then finally Deputy Hudson. _Where was she?_ Suddenly a flash of movement caught his eye, and that’s when he finally saw her in all her glory.

John watched on with curiosity as the Deputy glanced at various members of the congregation, her nimble fingers tightening on the pistol that she was holding when she finally looked at Joseph.

The dim lighting in the church made her appear even more beautiful than normal, her long, golden locks illuminating around her like a halo as pieces of her neatly presented bun fell down around her face. Her expression remained calm as she surveyed the area, but the look in her jade green eyes said otherwise as she locked onto him.

“Something is coming,” Joseph declared, eyes firmly fixed on the intruders as the church fell silent. “You can feel it, can’t you? That we are creeping towards an edge…And there will be a reckoning. That’s why we started the Project, because we know what happens next…”

John zoned out, tuning his brother out, his mind preoccupied with keeping junior Deputy in his sights. Maybe if he could just speak to her, then maybe she would consider turning back round…

“Joseph Seed.” Burke proclaimed boldly, taking a step forward as he shoved the warrant into Joseph’s face. “I have a warrant issued for your arrest on the suspicion of kidnapping with the intent to harm. Now I want you take a step forward.”

Members of the flock started to become restless, their hands automatically reaching for their weapons so that they could protect The Father. However, John watch in horror as Joseph smiled in a righteous manner, one that said I was right. John glared over at Jacob, silently willing his brother to act, but Jacob merely shot him a warning look as he crossed his arms and headed towards his brother.

“Don’t get involved, John. Now’s not the time to be a hero.” Jacob’s harsh words stung. Every single nerve in John’s body was telling him to act, telling him to stop the Deputy, but he was frozen in place like an obedient child, scolded by their parent for acting out.

“Here they are!” Joseph exclaimed as he regarded each and every one of the Sheriff’s Department. “The locusts in our garden. You see they’ve come for me, come to take me away from you, come to destroy all that we’ve built!”

Members of the flock raged, the angry whispers now becoming shouts as they stepped in between themselves and the Sheriff’s Department. Joseph however, had other plans. With a smile, he stepped down off the podium and placed a gentle hand on the followers either side of him, reassuring them in an instant.

“We knew this moment would come,” He said, assuring them. “We’ve prepared for this moment.”

“God will not let them take me…” Joseph continued, bringing his arms up in the air for a brief moment before lowering them and then staring directly into the eyes of the junior Deputy. “I saw when the Lamb opened the first Seal, and I heard as if it were thunder, one of the four beasts say ‘Come and see’…”

“Step forward.” Ashleigh moved in to grab Burke, but it was too late, he had already taken a step towards Joseph in a silent challenge. She sighed and discreetly glanced up at John, who’s face was beginning to turn an unhealthy shade of white.

“…And I saw…,” Joseph continued ranting, the air in the room seemingly charged with an electric current as he stepped forward, glaring at the invaders in sheer accusation. “…and behold it was Whitehorse, and hell followed with him.”

Ashleigh gulped, her eyes widening in terror when Joseph’s blue eyes connected with hers. He was looking at her like he knew something she didn’t.

“Rookie, cuff this son of a bitch.”

She tried to move her feet, she really did, but she was frozen, the sheer indecision making her blood turn to ice as she glanced up at John, who was now stood firmly behind Joseph. He was looking back at her with a pleading expression in his eyes, clearly torn at the situation unfolding before him.

“Cuff him.” Burke snapped.

Rook nodded slowly and glanced down at her belt, reaching for her cuffs. That’s until she heard his voice call out to her, tone pleading.

“ _Ashleigh,”_ His words were spoken quietly, his tone sounding positively angelic in a room full of voices barking orders out at her like she was a dog. “Please, don’t do this. You can still walk away. I know you don’t want this. I can see it written all over your face.”

“John!” Jacob scolded, beginning to chase after his younger brother, but Joseph’s hand came up to stop him in his tracks.

“Leave him be, Jacob.”

Rook froze, hands still placed on her cuffs as she watched John deliberately disobey his brother and take a step off of the podium, towards her. Something deep inside her coiled, a heat rushing to her face as John stopped in his tracks in front of her and for a moment, she forgot that anyone else was in the room with him. All she could see was John’s handsome face contorted into a mask of pain, his eyes pleading with her not to do this and in that moment, he looked almost human.

“I know you don’t want this,” He murmured, his tone soft as he stared deeply into her eyes, his soul searching hers. “You don’t have to do this, Ashleigh.”

Rook closed her eyes, afraid that she would lose her nerve if she looked at the sheer desperation in his blue eyes any longer. “I’m sorry, John. I’m so, so sorry. Believe me, I am.”

And with one last reluctant look, Ashleigh took another step forward and reached out to grab Joseph’s wrists, finding it extremely odd that he put up no fight whatsoever. Joseph closed his eyes and sighed quietly to himself when the young Deputy’s eyes connected with his. She would never know how close she had come to changing every single person in that room’s future, including the man she tried so hard not to care about.

“Sometimes the best thing to do is to walk away, Ashleigh.”

Rook’s eyes widened as she studied Joseph Seed with a wary expression. How did he know her name? Had John told him? Not wanting to dwell on it, she sharply grabbed the cuffs and jerked on them, causing Joseph to loose his footing as he glared in return at her.

“Let’s go.” She muttered quietly into Joseph’s ear as she watched the disappointment wash over John’s features. Betrayal..


	5. Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I ended up messing the two chapters together just because I felt they fitted better as one. I have the next chapter typed up ready to go so stay tuned. 
> 
> Also thank you for all the support so far. It really means a lot to me as I'm very self-critical of what I write sometimes, so knowing that you folks are enjoying it means the world to me :)

Ashleigh groaned, a wave of nausea hitting her like a tidal wave, a sharp pain searing through her skull as she gradually regained consciousness. Her whole body was throbbing, and her brain felt foggy. Where the _hell_ was she? 

The deputy couldn't remember anything beyond watching on in complete horror as Peggies' climbed onto the chopper and threw themselves at the blades in an attempt to stop the Sheriff's Department from taking off with Joseph Seed. She could vaguely recall the helicopter crashing down to the ground in a ball of flames and then Joseph Seed singing Amazing Grace to her in an eerily soft voice just before she blacked out. 

She blinked, once, twice, three times, her eyes squinting in the bright light in an attempt to gain her bearings. She tried to move her hands, and that's when she realised that they were bound together, the rough rope rubbing furiously against the soft skin on her wrist as she attempted to wiggle free. 

"Ah, you're awake," A velvety smooth voice murmured from somewhere beside her, one that she could recognise almost anywhere. "Good, I'm glad. I was beginning to get a little worried that you had bumped your head a little too hard in the crash."

Ashleigh blinked again, her vision slowly returning to normal as she glanced up and focused on John's face, which in turn made the man let out a sigh of relief. She noted that his blue eyes were swimming with concern as he rushed over to her aid, a frantic expression painted on his handsome face. He looked positively angelic. 

"John?" She choked out, despite the wracking cough that escaped her lungs, making her feel breathless as she looked up into his ocean blue eyes. "Where the hell am I? And why am I tied up?"

John smiled and gently took her face in his hands. He stroked her cheek with the back of his palms, his eyes searching hers, "As I said, I was concerned about you, Deputy, so I brought you here, to my ranch after the crash. I could've sent you off to stay with Jacob or Faith, and well, I couldn't say that they would be as hospitable as me. It was Jacob's idea to tie you up. He thought you were likely to try something. I did think it was a little excessive considering you were unconscious at the time, but you seem to have gotten under his skin, so he wasn't particularly thrilled about keeping you here without restraints…"

Ashleigh supposed that she couldn't protest Jacob's apprehension at her being there. She had been going around Hope County destroying all the Eden's Gate property she could find, and Jacob had been her latest target, partly because the deputy enjoyed the response she managed to elicit from him. 

"Where are my friends?" Ashleigh's voice was scratchy, and the words felt like sandpaper in her throat. 

"They are with my family," John sighed and took a small step away from her, the concern in his eyes quickly fading away as he looked off into the distance, clearly deep in thought. "I tried to you warn, but you didn't listen. Joseph told me this would happen, said to me that I still had time to fix this," John motioned to the two of them with his finger as he spoke. "But I failed him, and more importantly, I failed you. You did exactly what he said you would do, but it's not too late, Ashleigh. I can help you."

"Help me how?" She replied, her tone coming out a little harsher than expected. "Untie me, John. Everything hurts, and I want it to stop."

John rolled his eyes at her but produced a small switchblade from his pocket anyway and grinned sardonically, "I can set you free, deputy. I can help set you free from _sin._ You can live here with me, and my men and I can teach you the ways of Eden's Gate. You'll never have to hurt another person ever again. I can see how conflicted you are every time you're forced into a decision that isn't yours."

"Just untie me so we can talk properly," Ashleigh sighed. She wanted to fight with John, to argue the point, but she simply didn’t have any fight left in her. "I'll agree to stay for one night, but if you try anything, I'm out of here." 

And with that, John leaned down, his breath tickling Ashleigh's cheek as he reached around the chair to free her, the blade of his switchblade creating an immense pressure against her bindings before snapping in two. She hissed and brought her wrists up to examine the damage. Rook glared at John when she realised that her wrists were starting to bleed.

"As I said, not my idea,…Although, I do like the idea of you tied up and helpless," John replied with a sheepish grin. It was strange seeing John Seed without all of the bravado. In fact, it angered her. There were these fleeting moments when John allowed his defences to come down and allowed the young woman to sneak a glimpse at the man behind the mask. Ashleigh didn't believe for one second that he had been born a monster, figuring that something in his life must've triggered that behaviour from him. John could be sweet and caring when he wasn't trying to control her or fit into what his family needed him to be. However, the other side of his personality was toxic, sadistic, and that scared her. How could she trust anything that came out of his mouth? 

"Very funny." She replied sarcastically. 

Ashleigh stood and looked around, taking in her surroundings. She was in a rather lavish looking bedroom. The room was large and spacious with dark oak future and a four-poster bed, various Eden's Gate objects dotted around the room. The room itself was very masculine, one she assumed to be John's. 

"Is this your room, Johnny?" She asked, to which John nodded yes. 

She smiled despite herself and sat down on the huge bed, immediately relishing how soft and luxurious the mattress felt. She sighed contently, John's bed feeling like a fluffy cloud for her aching body. Ashleigh hurt everywhere. She looked up at John, who was in the process of taking his black vest off and placing it over a chair. His cerulean eyes connected with hers as he took his rings off and placed them on the bedside table. 

"What are you doing?" She asked, swallowing the wave of nervousness that threatened to spill over as she watched him start to unbutton the blue silk shirt that he was wearing. If anything turned her brain foggy and her thoughts to mush, it was definitely John Seed shirtless. 

John paused for a brief moment as he turned to smirk at her, hands still poised on the buttons of the shirt, "I'm getting ready for bed…If that's okay with you?" 

"And just where do you plan on sleeping exactly?" She retorted, one eyebrow raised in question. To which, John looked at her as if she were crazy. 

"Well, I was planning to slip into bed beside you," He replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world. "And before you protest too much, I must remind you that this is _my_ room and _my house_. I could quite easily have offered you to sleep in the communal dorm with my men if you'd prefer? I'm sure Holly would have been positively thrilled to arrange that for you."

Ashleigh rebuked at the name and scowled at John. How could she forget her dear old friend, Holly? She was a traitor, simply choosing to run off and join Eden's Gate for a piece of ass. And for what? For John to treat her no better than a dog that warmed the end of his bed at night? 

"Fine," She groaned in exasperation, finally accepting defeat as she scooted over and patted the now space in the bed beside her, "But no funny business. Besides, I'm sure that your little girlfriend would disapprove if she knew what you were doing right now."

John's eyebrow quirked, a smirk making its way onto his handsome face as he peeled off his shirt and threw it in her direction, "Then why don't we ask her, hmm? But first thing's first, put that on for me, will you? All of your clothes are filthy, and I don't want you ruining my nice, clean bedsheets."

"You wouldn't dare." She warned, waiting with bated breath as John brought the handheld radio up to his lips. He shot Ashleigh a look that said hurry up and put the damn shirt on, to which she rolled her eyes and complied, finding it to be the path of least resistance. She knew exactly what game John was playing now that she was slipping into his expensive ass shirt, his equally as expensive cologne teasing her senses. He could be mean, but this was downright cruel. There was no way in hell that the Baptist didn't know how Holly felt about him. 

His eyes twinkled mischievously under the dim lighting as he relished in the potential opportunity to fuck with the young woman one more time, "Watch me."

_There was that monster finally rearing his ugly head once again, the one who relished in controlling and manipulating others to his will…_

In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea to dare John into doing something, especially something so trivial. The man barely needed any encouragement at the best of times. Plus, he actually seemed to enjoy torturing the poor girl. Ashleigh didn't particularly like Holly, but that woman needed to grow a backbone at some point and stop putting up with John's bullshit. 

"Holly, darling. Can you come up here for a sec?" John all but cooed into his radio whilst maintaining eye contact with Ashleigh the entire time, to which she mouthed 'your despicable' in return. 

_"Sure, no problem. On my way now."_

"You look good in my shirt." Ashleigh rolled her eyes at John's comment as she peeled the covers back and slipped into them. If Holly Pepper was about to walk up those stairs and see the junior deputy in only John's shirt, then she was at least going to hide some of her modesty. A soft knock at the door caused Ashleigh to slink down further into the giant bed, and then pull covers right up to her chin. She didn't want to cause any fights, not right now; she didn't have the energy for it tonight.

She just wanted to close her eyes and go to sleep. 

"John, you wanted to seem…" Holly said, waltzing into the bedroom. Ashleigh watched on in horror as the smile died on Holly's face when she spotted Ashleigh tucked up in her lover's bed. Her eyes narrowed almost immediately, "What's _she_ doing here?"

"She's here because I wanted her to be," John replied with a smirk as he made his way over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. "Now, there isn't a problem here, is there, Holly? Because the Deputy tells me that she doesn't want to step on your toes... Surely you don't mind?"

Holly eye's widened as she stuttered a reply, "Uh, of course not, John."

Ashleigh cringed at the interaction between John and Holly, wanting nothing more than the ground to swallow her up so that she didn't have any part in this. What made the situation worse was that Holly was desperately trying to avoid all eye contact. It made her look sad, pathetic. Ashleigh never understood why Holly stayed by John's side for so long, staying loyal to him, especially when he treated her like the dirt on his shoe. 

"Leave us be," Holly didn't need to be told twice apparently, but John's voice stopped the young woman in her tracks, "Oh, and turn the light off, will you?" 

When Holly finally left the room, Ashleigh turned to John and scowled, to which he shrugged his shoulders and joined her in bed.

"Are you quite finished?" 

"Mhmm."

John nodded as he pulled Ashleigh into him, her head colliding with his chest in the process, and despite herself, she sighed contently and begrudgingly wrapped her arm around his waist. It was quiet in the room, neither one feeling the need to speak as they enjoyed a comfortable silence together. Things were going to be different after tonight, and it seemed John knew it too, wanting one more night just for the two of them before everything went to shit. 

"Why did you really pull me out of the helicopter and bring me here? You could've just as easily let Jacob or Faith take me." She muttered into John's chest, her soft lips brushing against the hard planes with every word she spoke. 

John sighed and rested his chin on her head, "I don't know," He admitted. "To protect you, I suppose…"

"That's bullshit. You know that I don't need protecting, John. So, what's the real reason, huh?" She questioned, not about to let him off the hook that easily. 

"I don't have one, okay? I have no fucking idea why I pulled you out of that helicopter, to be completely honest with you. I saw it burst into flames with you in it. I panicked…I wanted to help you as I've always wanted to help you…" John manoeuvred himself so that Ashleigh was forced to look into his eyes. She wanted to look away, but John grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. His tone was low, almost a whisper as he continued, "But, you're stubborn. You've never wanted my help, have you? Always choosing to fight me instead. What are you afraid of, Ashleigh? That someone cares for you? That someone _like me_ cares for you?"

Tears stung at the back of her eyes as she willed herself not to let John see her cry, "…John, please. Don't start this again…"

John let out an exasperated breath, beginning to get frustrated with the young woman lying in his bed, "Why not? This is your last chance to decide what you want. After tonight, I can't protect you anymore."

_What did she want?_

_______

The pale light of dawn seeped into the darkened room from underneath the curtains, signalling a new day in Hope County as Ashleigh lay in bed beside John Seed, quite content as she listened to his gentle snores. She hadn't got much, if any, sleep last night, her mind still reeling as she replayed last night's events over and over again. 

She peeked to the side and smiled despite herself. The light was illuminating John's handsome features like some goddamned vision. His usual slicked back hairstyle was now sticking up in all directions, and he was drooling slightly as one thigh lay atop the comforter, but it was nice to see him look human for a change. John very rarely, if ever, let his guard down for anyone and Ashleigh figured that he didn't sleep much either because he hadn't stirred once. 

Ashleigh let her gaze lazily trail around the room, too scared to move in case she woke sleeping beauty, and that's when she spotted her deputy's shirt hanging over a chair in the corner of the room, the guilt and shame almost screaming at her in the silent room. 

John was right. Nothing was ever going to be the same, and now it was her time to choose. She had a few choices, and they were either the man she cared about or the job and people that she loved. How was she supposed to pick? 

To anyone else, her choice should've been as simple as breathing. To them, John was a monster and nothing more, and Ashleigh didn't grudge them that opinion. But to her, he had shown compassion, even if it was only fleeting, but she couldn't forget it, no matter how fleeting. It was still enough to prove that he still scared somewhere deep inside. Although John and his family had committed numerous horrible things against the folks of Hope County, and each time they did, Ashleigh found herself less and less able to defend John's actions. 

In fact, most women would've killed to be in her position, to have John Seed, a man who commanded power and struck fear into people's hearts, helpless before them. Most would've smothered him with a pillow then and there to end their nightmare, and they probably would've been justified in doing so. 

Ashleigh closed her eyes, tears threatening to spill over as she squeezed them shut, "I'm so, so sorry." 

The words hurt her heart as she whispered them into the silent room, almost like a confession. She couldn't escape the feelings of shame and guilt. They haunted her like a ghost, reminding her daily that she vowed to protect people from men like John Seed, not to hook up with them and go running to them when she felt lonely. Her mother would've been ashamed if she were still alive to bear witness to Ashleigh's transgressions. 

Both her mother and father would've been appalled. They had fought tooth and nail against the Seed's from the beginning, so the very idea that their daughter was now shacked up in one of their beds would've had them tossing their graves. They would be so disappointed in her, good old Ashleigh, always ruining things, always taking the easy way out…

With a heavy heart, she slowly sat up in bed and glanced down at John, allowing herself to commit the vision of him like this to her memory before she never saw it again. If she left, he would disown her too. That much was a definite. 

She slowly reached out and allowed her fingertips to trail over his sharp jaw, relishing how his skin felt underneath hers. Sometimes, Ashleigh would've given up everything she had so that she could figure out what made John Seed tick. She could tell that the man had experienced a life of pain, which wasn't just going from the physical evidence that littered his body. She could tell by the look in his eyes when he failed to live up to his brother's expectations of him, could see the scared little boy behind the facade. Deep down inside, a part of John never really grew up. He was still seeking approval for his actions, like a child who was looking to be praised, who just wanted reassurance. Over the last six months, John had let slip that he had a difficult childhood but had never gone into any details. 

"I wish things could be different, John," Ashleigh murmured as she gently stroked his cheek. "You have no idea how much this decision is tearing me apart inside, but I've got to do this. I don't have a choice. I'm sorry."

She wasn't sure if it was from the physical pain of moving her battered and bruised body or the emotional turmoil from abandoning John. Still, a tear slipped out of her eye as she slowly crept out of bed and got dressed as quietly as she could, her eyes never leaving the sleeping man in the bed. Tearing her eyes away from him, she quickly grabbed her belongings from the dresser opposite and snuck over to the open window. It was better this way. Ashleigh wasn't sure she could deal with the confrontation and tell John that she hadn't chosen him over her friends. She shook her head and sat down on the window frame, ready to throw one leg out. 

"Don't go, please," The whisper sounded almost pleading, causing Ashleigh to freeze on the spot as she took a deep breath and finally glanced over at John, who was now awake, hurt and confusion plaguing his tired features. "I need you here with me. Those people that you call friends don't need you as I do, Ashleigh. They never will."

Ashleigh tore her eyes away from John and wordlessly slipped out of the window, not before she registered the look of sheer pain and betrayal on John's face. She had just made a formidable enemy and desperately needed to make it back to Fall's End before John found her. 


	6. Blackmail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh, John's been a bad boy...

* * *

With her heart hammering away inside her chest, Ashleigh clambered out of the window as fast as her battered and bruised body would allow and jumped down onto the ledge underneath. She hissed, attempting to ignore the searing pain in her ankle as she crouched down and snuck along the balcony area, hoping that none of John’s men would spot her. Even though her strange relationship with the Baptist protected her to some degree, she knew the Peggies would love nothing more than to give her a hiding for all the countless Eden’s Gate followers that she had killed in cold blood. 

She scanned the immediate area for signs of anyone from the gap in the balcony. Due to the early hour, the number of men guarding John’s Ranch had been reduced to a skeleton crew, which made her chuckle. Apparently, the cult needed sleep too, who knew? 

From her vantage point, she could see a few men dotted around the premises, guarding the usual vulnerable points; one up top, one by the main entrance and one walking around the perimeter.

Once she was certain of an escape route, she snuck down the stairs and dashed into the nearest bush at the back of the property. Said bush just so happened to be directly opposite the other side of John’s bedroom. Against her better judgement, Ashleigh allowed herself one final glance up at the window, secretly hoping that he would be standing there, watching her with a knowing smirk. 

It reminded her of a night back when the cult had just started up the ante, where she been attempting to sneak into his place to do some recon, and John had spotted her. Ashleigh was sure the image of him standing there, wearing nothing a pair of tight boxers and a smirk would be burned onto her brain forever. 

However, when John was nowhere to be found, she figured that he would no doubt be barking orders down the radio to his men. In the background, she faintly registered the sound of the usual Eden’s Gate music, albeit turned down because of the ungodly hour and men singing along wholeheartedly to the chorus. Ashleigh needed to make her escape before those men got orders to go looking for her. She was a sitting duck in that bush, armed only with job issue sidearm, a small pistol that still had iron sights and could hit something from about twenty metres away if you were a good shot. Certainly not the type of weapon you want to have when you’re significantly outnumbered and outgunned. 

“We’ve got to find that little bitch,” Ashleigh cringed internally upon hearing the nearing voices, the proximity making her blood turn to ice. She froze, subconsciously holding her breath as she silently prayed that they wouldn’t spot her. “It’s of the utmost importance that we find her. Brother John will be extremely pleased if we are the ones to hand her over. Spread out and find her. She won’t have gotten far with those injuries.” 

Waiting with bated breath until she was certain the Peggie had wandered off to continue his search, Ashleigh watched as he shrugged and went off in the opposite direction, whistling the tune to ‘Help Me Faith’ under his breath as he did. Once she was convinced that the area was clear, the deputy bolted out of her hide and ran as fast as she could until her lungs burned and her thighs ached. And when she couldn’t run anymore, she allowed herself some respite by stopping for a moment to hide behind a large tree. 

Ashleigh sighed, eyes closing momentarily as she exhaled deeply in an attempt to regular her rapid heart rate. She should’ve known that leaving John wouldn’t have been as easy as simply walking out of the front door. John didn’t deal well when situations didn’t go his way. 

Another reason to add to the list of why John and Ashleigh could never work. No, it was just an idea, one that would never come to fruition no matter how hard they wished it true. It was better for everyone if she just tried to move on. Ashleigh had to find her friends and colleagues. John had mentioned that they were with his family, and if the deputy knew the Seed’s, they would have more than likely split them up to keep them isolated, keep them feeling like they had no other choice but to submit to Eden’s Gate. 

Noises from behind, vaguely similar to voices, caused the deputy to snap out of her thoughts and back into the real world. She had to keep walking to avoid being caught by the Peggies so that she could go and rescue her friends. 

_“Rook? Sheriff? Hudson? Are you there? Can anyone hear me?”_

Ashleigh’s eyes widened as she frantically grabbed for her radio and pressed the talk button, “Staci? Is that you? Where the hell are you?” 

It was difficult to run and listen to her colleague at the same time, so she stopped briefly and hid behind a nearby tree as she attempted to catch her breath, “Are you okay?” 

Tears began to well in her eyes at the sound of her colleague’s voice. He was alive and well. She wasn’t alone. Even though John had assured her that her friends were fine, she wasn’t sure she believed the Herald. The man tended to tell people what they wanted to hear instead of just telling them the truth, which was ironic considering he was in charging of getting confessions from people. 

_“…I’m fine, Ash,”_ He muttered, voice heavily muffled by the radio static. _“Listen, I don’t have much time to talk before he finds out where I’ve run off to. You need to get out of Hope County and get help. This situation is much worse than we thought. Don’t worry me. I’m already too far gone.”_

Ashleigh whispered hurried, beginning to hear voices edging ever closer to her position, “What do you mean ‘too far gone’, Stace? Where are you?”

_“With Jacob,”_ He replied. _“The man’s fucking twisted. You can’t even attempt to comprehend what he’s doing unless you’ve seen it with your own two eyes. He’s sick. You need to run, save-“_

The young deputy’s eyes widened, “Staci? Staci?!” 

_“…Deputy,”_ Ashleigh’s blood turned cold at the rich cadence of that voice, the voice of Jacob Seed. _“I hear you’ve managed to hurt my little brother’s feelings yet again? I can’t say I’m surprised, though… John’s always had a soft spot for pretty girls, especially ones that seem to have a problem with authority.”_

“Fuck you.” She growled in reply. 

Jacob tutted as if he were scolding a naughty child, _“You can’t help that smart mouth of yours, can you? Don’t worry. My men will find you and bring you to me. Then we’ll see about teaching you some manners, huh? And Peaches is right, don’t worry about him. He’s well looked after. He doesn’t want to be found, so I suggest you do yourself a favour, Darlin’ and heed his warning.”_

Ashleigh pressed the talk button to speak, but Jacob had already cut her off, ending their little conversation prematurely. She growled in frustration and angrily shoved the radio back onto her belt. The young deputy hadn’t had much interaction with the oldest Seed brother since taking up her position with the Hope County Sheriff’s Department since most of her responsibility had rested solely in the Valley. Still, Ashleigh had heard the stories about him and his men. Apparently, Jacob was big on the whole Darwinist approach to life. He was running around the Whitetail Mountains teaching people basic survival 101 on steroids, which would have a good thing if he weren’t absolutely batshit and using live people as targets for his ‘Chosen’ to practice on. 

She shivered at the thought. Before the night of the arrest, Staci had been working tirelessly alongside someone called Eli, who had apparently helped Jacob before realising just how twisted the eldest Herald had become. Eli was working hard to bring Jacob Seed to justice and according to her friend’s stories, Eli and some other folks who lived up there had formed a group called the Whitetail Militia just before all of this happened. 

That’s when a realisation popped into her brain. Eli and his men were her best bet if she wanted to rescue Staci from Jacob’s clutches, but she had problems of her own right now. She had to find some way of getting John and _his_ men off her back for a while. That meant continuing on her way to Fall’s End. She just hoped that people were just as willing to stick their necks out in Holland Valley as they were up north. However, John was clever with it. He had gone down a completely different route from his brother, using his charisma and charm to worm his way into people’s homes and then eventually their minds. 

She had fallen for his charms once, but it wasn’t going to happen for a second time. She needed to be strong now. 

When the young deputy was finally sure that no one seemed to be following her, she picked up the pace. The walk itself was enjoyable, nothing but the sound of crickets chirping as she traversed through the woods to Fall’s End. Knowing that John was a keen pilot, Ashleigh figured that it would be much harder for him to spot her that way. 

The town itself was eerily quiet when she rounded the corner opposite Pastor Jerome’s church and peeked through the trees. Suddenly, a horrible chill crept up Ashleigh’s spine as she surveyed the streets. Fall’s End was usually bustling with the locals going about their daily business at this time, so it was extremely worrying not to spot a single soul out and about. Worried that John and his men had already beaten her to it, Ashleigh sprinted across the road to the Spread Eagle Bar, hoping that Mary May had at least managed to hold out long enough to keep the cult at bay. 

She made it to the main door, her hand hovering as she took a deep breath and pushed, silently praying that everyone was okay. The bar was in complete darkness when she entered, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the difference, but when she got her bearings, she took a deep breath and went to take a step forwards. 

“Get the fuck out of my bar!!” 

Ashleigh suddenly spun on her heels, just in time to come face to face with Mary May, who was hurtling towards her with a baseball bat swinging in her direction. 

“Woah! It’s okay. Calm down!” She exclaimed to her friend, barely dashing out of the way of Mary’s bat in time. “It’s Ashleigh. I’m here alone.”

The young deputy relaxed when Mary May let out a sigh and lowered the bat completely. She opened her mouth to speak, but the bartender pulled her into a suffocating hug before she got the chance. She laughed and wrapped her arms around Mary’s neck in return.

“Oh, Ash. I’m so glad you’re here,” Mary stated, finally pulling away and looking back at the deputy with a serious expression on her face. It was then that Ashleigh realised that things were a lot worse than they seemed. Mary May was a level headed person who didn’t get flustered or worked up over the small details. “The Peggies have gone fuckin’ nuts! I was tidying up for the night when they decided to come in here and storm the place. They smashed everything up and took all of the alcohol. I don’t know what’s changed, but they aren’t their usual, peace-loving selves. I went to argue the point with one, and she nearly shot me. Can you fuckin’ believe that?”

“Yeah, I can,” Ashleigh replied with a sigh. She took a seat and frowned, “Listen, you probably shouldn’t stay here tonight. Last night…we attempted to arrest Joseph Seed and let’s just say that it didn’t exactly go to plan. He escaped along with Pratt and Hudson. I’ve no idea where the Sheriff is, and now the Peggies think the end of the world is coming, something they call ‘The Reaping’.” 

Mary placed a hand on her hip and gave the deputy a look, “Ash, how long have we been friends?”

“Since forever.”

“Well, since we’ve been friends forever, then you probably know I’m not gonna leave the bar,” Mary countered, joining in her friend in the booth. “That goddamn cult has taken pretty much everything from me, Ash. And I’ll be damned if I let them take this too. I’ve got nothing left to lose.”

Ashleigh sighed and placed her hand atop Mary’s. Her friend had a point. Eden’s Gate had taken everything from her, including her family. Sometimes it was easy to forget that Joseph Seed and his family had destroyed not only her life but that of her fellow town’s folks too. If it weren’t for the cult, Ashleigh would still have a home, would still have a family, but they were long gone along with everything else that had been wrongfully taken from her over the last year. 

“We’ve got to do something about those fuckers,” Mary added bitterly, her gaze locking onto Ashleigh’s. “They’ve had it way too easy for much too long, but enough’s enough. How much more are we going to accept? Are we just gonna roll over and let them take everything we love?” 

“What are you sayin’?” 

Mary May smiled, “That we are gonna build up a Resistance to fight these fuckers. Surely we ain’t the only ones that are willing to stand up to them? I know a few good folks that would be willing to stick it to Eden’s Gate.” 

“What about Grace Armstrong? Isn’t she back home?” 

_“Ah, Deputy. So glad I managed to catch you before you went off and did anything that you would regret,”_ Ashleigh stilled at the sheer vehemence in John’s tone, her left hand reaching down almost instinctively. _“I suppose you’ve made it back to the Fairgrave women since my men haven’t picked you up…I don’t know what you’re planning, little chicken, but whatever it is, I would strongly advise against it. I have something of yours that I think will change your mind about us…”_

“What the fuck do you want, John?” Ashleigh growled in return, her eyes automatically landing on Mary May, who was beginning to look rather pale despite her normally tanned skin. “Didn’t you already give me an ultimatum, or are you simply incapable of remembering things that don’t go your own way?”

_“Ah, Ah, Ah,”_ He chided in an almost childish voice. _“I would watch the language if I were you, Ashleigh. Now, turn the TV on to Channel 63. I think you’ll want to see this.”_

The deputy rolled her eyes but complied with John’s request anyway. She grabbed the remote, immediately switching it over to 63, the Peggie Channel. She scowled at the static-filled screen and angrily brought the radio up to her mouth, “John, there ain’t anything on here? Stop playing games and just tell me what you want.”

_“Patience is a virtue, Deputy.”_

And as if by some sort of Peggie magic, the static abruptly disappeared and was filled with an industrial-looking room, bathed in red light. Ashleigh frowned at the image. 

She couldn’t think of a building in Hope County that looked like that. Maybe a garage? Her pondering was cut short, however, as the sight of John Seed strolling into the frame, whistling ‘We’ll Meet Again’ invaded all of her thoughts. He continued whistling the tune whilst he haphazardly fiddled around with something _just_ out of view. 

“John,” Ashleigh warned the Baptist, her eyes glued to the small screen as an immense feeling of unease began to well in the pit of her stomach. She watched him turn to face the camera with a wicked smirk, “This isn’t funny…What the hell is _this?_ ” 

_“My bargaining chip. You wouldn’t listen to common sense, so I figured this would be the next, best option to deal with the likes of you,”_ He cooed down the radio to her. “ _Just keep watching. My favourite part’s coming up. I think you’ll enjoy this. Gotta dash got a TV appearance to make.”_

“Mary, turn the volume up,” Ashleigh muttered, her eyes never leaving the screen. Mary complied, quickly grabbing the remote and turning the volume up as high as it could go. She then leaned on the bar next to her friend, concern painting her features. It was obvious that she was feeling just as apprehensive as the young deputy. 

“We are all sinners, every single one of us,” John began with a soft smile, his hands clasped together as if in deep thought. He then glanced up into the camera pensively, as if he were speaking directly to Ashleigh, “You. Me, even The Father knows deeply of sin. It is a poison that clouds our minds, something which drives us to unspeakable things. What if I told you that you could be free from sin, Deputy? What if I told you that all the wrong-doings you have committed could be undone if you just embraced a simple idea?”

Ashleigh scowled at the screen, a sharp pang of anger boiling away deep inside her as she continued to watch John goad her. He was doing it on purpose, deliberately trying to push her buttons in a way she had yet to be pushed. That son of a bitch knew that she didn’t believe in God.

“All you have to do is say yes, Deputy,” John murmured, his baby blues basically delving into her soul. “But I know you’re scared. That’s okay, though. I can help you. Oh, and just in case you needed a little encouragement, I have someone here who would also like it if you came to join us.”

As John said it, a Peggie woman suddenly appeared at the edge of the screen and looked to be dragging a person into the room with them, a person who Ashleigh soon recognised as Joey Hudson. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She muttered, watching as the Peggie woman gripped Joey’s bound arms and forcefully dragged her over to John, who was watching the scene unfold with a look of glee on his handsome face. Hudson looked terrible. Her face was red and blotchy from crying, her mascara bleeding onto her face, and she had what looked to be a huge bruise forming around her right cheek. 

It was then that Ashleigh decided enough was enough. He had told her a bare-faced lie when she had asked about her friends after the crash. Suddenly the young deputy felt sick to her stomach. Had Joey been locked up in John’s basement ever since the crash? Had she slept in that monster’s bed whilst her friend was downstairs, bound and gagged? 

“I’d suggest you come to me before it’s too late, Deputy,” John suggested with a sly smirk. “Because I don’t know how much more Hudson here can endure. You have twenty-four hours to decide. Better think wisely.” 


End file.
